What Is Your Car's Drive Shaft?

It takes a lot of moving parts to get your car moving. If you take just one of those parts out of your car, then it isn't going to work. One important part of your car is the drive shaft. Your car's engine produces the energy necessary to get the car moving, but there has to be some way to get that energy from the motor to the wheels so that the car can actually move. That's where the drive shaft comes into play. The motor is connected to your transmission, which switches gears as necessary and sends the energy out to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is a shaft that runs from the transmission to the axles of your car, lengthwise. The transmission makes the drive shaft rotate. That rotation is transmitted through the joints and the rotation is shifted so that it will make the wheels spin.

Your drive shaft gets quite the workout. That means that it's likely to break down or wear out at some point. There are some signs that you can look for that will give you some idea as to whether or not your driveshaft is starting to wear out.

Extreme Vibrations

One sign that your drive shaft is going out is that you start to feel some serious vibrations that are coming from under your car. When the drive shaft is installed in your car, it is very carefully balanced and aligned so that you only get minimal vibrations. Once the drive shaft starts to vibrate, it starts causing problems with the rest of the drive train in your car. For example, it could cause your U-joints to start wearing out. That can start to affect your steering, which can be a safety issue.

Scraping Sounds

Another thing that may be a sign that your drive shaft is starting to go out is that you may hear some scraping sounds that come out from under your car. You may have a hard time hearing this because when you are in the passenger area of the car, you may have the music playing or have a lot of talking which can drown out the sounds when they are at the early stages.

Without your drive shaft, your car isn't going to go much of anywhere. Knowing signs of problems that could come from your drive shaft going out can help you get it fixed, like at Spring Suspension & Alignment Services, before it gets too bad and causes more damage.

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16 June 2017

About Me

Now that I'm finished with college, my parents have turned over several obligations to me. One of them happens to be the insurance on my second hand car. Since it is up for renewal in a few months, I want to compare the benefits and see if someone else can give me a better deal.
Already, I've found that auto insurance can get complicated. Do I really need more coverage than the minimum my state requires? How about provisions that will help with auto repair after an accident? How do I know when the cost of a policy is within reason?
Slowly, I'm finding answers to these and other questions. If you are also looking into options for auto coverage, stick with me. I'll share what I learn and both of us can end up with policies that meet our needs!